2016 SOTU

I tend to steer away from politics around here because they are so polarizing and, honestly, not worth the distress and unclenching debate they typically bring about. That being said, I was really moved by last night's State of the Union address. I implore you to watch the whole thing but if that's too much of a time investment please watch the summary or read it. President Obama runs through four key points of what he foresees for the future of America in general, not just his time in Office. His final point really hits hard to me:

The future we want - opportunity and security for our families; a rising standard of living and a sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids - all that is within our reach. But it will only happen if we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates.

It will only happen if we fix our politics.

He goes on to discuss the notion of civil debate, something that seems to have been falling away the past few years. Facebook, Twitter and Internet in general makes it so easy to find your camp and just stick with them. As Sean Blanda points out, The "Other Side" is Not Dumb.

Obama is, undoubtedly, an excellent orator but I think his message goes beyond just being a good speaker. There seems to be a real opportunity here to become a smarter, well-tempered, intelligent community as a whole. We just have to make the collective choice to actually do it instead of falling for the tricks of media and political grandstanding. I don't think it will be easy but I think the Alternative is way scarier.